Double Impact
by Krysana
Summary: Non yaoi, Impact Blue x Takahashi's, Ryousuke is unhappy so Keisuke and Sayuki make a plan to cheer him up. [Oneshot, Complete]


Double Impact An Initial D fan fiction By Krysana  
  
Disclaimer: Initial D does not belong to me. That lucky (and talented) person is Shigeno Shuichi. I'm sure he won't mind if I play with his characters for a little while. I'll give them back, promise!  
  
Pairing/s: Ryou/Mako, Kei/Sayu  
  
Notes: Straight romance (sorry yaoi fans) and very sappy. Some OOC for Ryou. Girls POV. Thoughts written in italics. Thanks to Karen who pointed out to me that in the manga Ryousuke is the one who balances study, racing and social life, quite unlike how he's portrayed in the anime.  
  
Author's note: This is my first IniD fic, so I thought I'd write an easy straight one first. Please R&R and let me know what you think. Yaoi/Shounen Ai one is being written next.  
  
  
  
Sayuki looked over at her friend Mako. They had stopped at the little cafe for a cold drink on this hot Saturday. Sayuki sighed. Mako's large eyes had a faraway look and her mouth was turned downwards in an unhappy smile.  
  
"Oh no! She's thinking about that Speed Stars guy again!" thought Sayuki, "I need to cheer Mako up and get her mind off that guy Iketani. She's been like this for too long!"  
  
Aloud she said "Mako, how about going to practice driving at Akagi tonight? It's been ages since we were there."  
  
Mako blinked. "Umm. okay Sayuki. You're right, we haven't been there for several months."  
  
Sayuki smiled. "Okay, let's go after dinner. We can eat at the sushi bar near my place. Pick me up at 6:00 okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
  
  
On the ride home, Sayuki's mind wandered back to an interesting encounter that she had recently and the reason behind her suggestion for the trip to Akagi. She had been shopping in Myougi during the week. Walking along the busy street, she had been feeling very pleased with the world as she had just purchased a new pair of white high-heeled stilettos.  
  
Walking to the music store, she saw a tall cute guy with blonde spiky hair exiting the store and heading in her direction. Dressed in beige cargo pants and a dark green hooded sweatshirt, he exuded confidence. His gaze reached her and lingered on the long expanse of leg displayed by her short blue skirt. Continuing his upward glance of appreciation, his eyes finally reached her face which by now had an amused expression.  
  
"Takahashi Keisuke, what would your brother say about your lack of manners?" Sayuki said, but she smiled warmly to show she wasn't really upset.  
  
"Umm. Hi Sayuki." Keisuke replied laughing. "Well he would probably say it was okay if I was ogling a really gorgeous girl. What are you doing here in Myougi?"  
  
Sayuki swung the shopping bag that she was holding. "Shopping naturally! I can't resist buying shoes and there are some really good shoe stores here. And you?"  
  
Keisuke made a face. "Girls and shoes - that's a lethal combination. I had to pick up something for my father from the hospital and then I thought I would see if the music store had the latest from move. Say, have you had lunch yet?"  
  
Sayuki shook her head, not noticing that the action made her long brown hair swing on her shoulders and made her breasts bounce in her white singlet. Keisuke noticed - and put his hands in his pockets to disguise his reaction.  
  
"I know this little restaurant close to here that makes great noodles. Let's go."  
  
Sayuki laughed. "You're making an assumption that I want to eat with you. Do I want to be seen with you? I don't want anyone to think that I'm one of your fangirls."  
  
Keisuke rolled his eyes. "You? A fangirl? I don't think so. If you were a fangirl, you'd be giving me chocolates and adoring glances. Actually, as we're closer to your home, people are more likely to think I'm one of your fanboys!"  
  
"Hmm. I like that idea of having fanboys! Lead on fanboy!"  
  
Sayuki linked her arm with Keisuke's and they strolled to the restaurant, each trying to out-do each other with smart comments.  
  
They arrived at the restaurant and were shown to a seat by the window. There were quite a few glances from the other patrons at the good looking laughing couple. A group of schoolgirls sighed over Keisuke's gorgeousness and jealous looks were directed at Sayuki.  
  
Once seated, they ordered lunch whilst their banter continued.  
  
"I don't think I've spoken this much to you for the past three years." Sayuki commented. "We used to see each other all the time during the summer when I was dating your friend Matsu. Have you seen him lately? I haven't seen him since he went to Tokyo University."  
  
"No, I haven't heard from him for a while. His family moved to Tokyo when his dad got a promotion and asked for a re-location. So we need to make an effort to visit each other as Tokyo and Akagi are not that close. We try to catch up in summer break and other holidays. I remember now, we had a great summer, that last summer in high school. Matsu and I had just gotten our licenses and wanted to drive everywhere. We ran up enormous petrol bills - my father nearly killed me!" Keisuke smiled wryly remembering his old school friend.  
  
Sayuki continued her thought. "Yes, well it didn't help that I lived over here in Usui and you guys were over in Akagi. Though I tried to visit my aunt and uncle in Akagi and stay with them as much as possible. That was a fun summer."  
  
"I can't believe it was three years ago. Time goes past so quickly."  
  
"It certainly has been a long time. I mostly see you at races now. Actually I don't even see you that much when I'm there. There are usually so many people at your battles now. The Redsuns are so popular with you and your brother." Sayuki smirked and emulated a school-girl's voice. "Oh look, it's Takahashi Ryousuke and Takahashi Keisuke! They're so cute! Keisuke I love you!" She began laughing at Keisuke's self-conscious look.  
  
"Hey, don't blame me for the way girls act! Especially young school girls." said Keisuke protestingly, as a slight blush stained his cheeks.  
  
"Still there is the blonde hair, the green eyes and the hip clothes. Not to mention the yellow FD you drive!" Sayuki continued her argument.  
  
"What's wrong with yellow? It looks great! Not that you can say anything about physical appearances. You should hear what the guys in the galleries are saying about you and your partner Mako." Keisuke changed the topic back to her.  
  
"Oh really, what do they say?"  
  
"Umm. I don't think I should actually tell you. Some of it is pretty dirty."  
  
Sayuki smiled and said "Ah, it probably hurts their pride more that we can drive faster and better than then."  
  
Keisuke grinned. "True, though I've never raced your team, Mako and you have the reputation of the fastest on Usui. Usui is a tough course to master. It's so narrow."  
  
Sayuki nodded her head. "Yes, it took us a while to learn to drive there. Back when we started, we were obsessed with driving. We would stay out driving until dawn."  
  
"So how did you and Mako become driving partners?" asked Keisuke.  
  
"Well as you know, we've been friends since we were in elementary school. We've grown up together and when we were seventeen, Mako decided she wanted to get a car as soon as she was able to. So naturally I tagged along and got my license when she did. I did think of getting my own car, but I find that don't really need one. Mako uses her car to get to her office, but I have a direct bus outside my house. And on the weekends we go together to drive. And I'm not really a fan of sneakers so it works well for me if Mako is the driver."  
  
Keisuke finished his meal and looked longingly at Sayuki's half-full plate.  
  
"Yes, you can have it. I'm stuffed!" Sayuki correctly read his expression. "I have to go the ladies room anyway."  
  
Keisuke took her plate and began eating her remaining food.  
  
On her return, Keisuke was staring out the window.  
  
"What's up? Something wrong?" asked Sayuki as she sat down.  
  
"No. nothing is wrong really. I'm just a little concerned about Aniki." Everyone who knew the Takahashi's knew that Keisuke was a devoted little brother who depended on his older brother to manage his life. Everyone also knew that Ryousuke was one of the most organised people around, managing his studies, racing and a healthy social life with ease. "At the moment, his life consists of three things: his med studies, running the Redsuns team, which actually I'm doing mostly, and ensuring Tsugumi, our cousin who lives with us, gets her homework done."  
  
Sayuki frowned. "No social life? But he used to go out all the time! I remember your parents worrying how he could complete all his studies and still find time to go out with friends and to parties. I know he's a very dedicated student and maybe he's concentrating on his studies perhaps? Are there some exams coming up?"  
  
"No, he doesn't have any exams for another few months. There's more than enough time for him to study for those. He is just so uninterested in anything. Doesn't want to chat, doesn't want to go to clubs or parties, won't watch TV with Tsugumi, he just goes to his room and closes the door. When he comes home from the hospital after his shifts, he looks drawn and tired, but then he tries to put on a good face in front of our parents. I think the hospital work is getting to him - I think he's changed to the ER department recently. I try to drag him out with me when I go out with Kenta and Hiroshi, but he's declined for the last few weeks. He just goes into his room and studies or whatever else he does until early in the morning. I can see his light is still on when I come home again." Keisuke sighed. Now that he had voiced his concerns out loud, they seemed to have a life of their own, looming larger in his mind and seeming to have gained importance by the simple act of sound.  
  
"It sounds like he needs a distraction of some sort. What's happening with the Redsuns? No upcoming races for him to strategise?" Sayuki knew Ryousuke was the brains behind every Redsuns race and a fierce competitor who hated losing.  
  
"No, when I said he's not interested in anything at the moment, I meant anything. Even with the Redsuns, he seems like he's only there because he has to be. He's been distant and hasn't been paying close attention to the other members, which is completely unlike him. He used to always know what times everyone in the team is doing and always has some suggestions to help the others improve. In the last practice session on Saturday night he drove by himself for half the time and then sat on the guardrail looking at the landscape for the other half!" Keisuke tried unsuccessfully to keep his frustration out of his voice.  
  
"Does he have a girlfriend? She would be able to find out for sure." asked Sayuki.  
  
"No, he hasn't had one for ages, though not for lack of offers. He's got more fangirls than me. If he had a girlfriend, she might be able to find out what's wrong, but he's single at the moment." Keisuke looked disgruntled by this fact.  
  
A mutual silence was agreed wordlessly as they both considered the issue.  
  
After several minutes Sayuki said slowly "I've got an idea, but you've got to promise not to mention this to anyone."  
  
"I can't promise until I hear what I'm promising to not mention to anyone."  
  
"Well, Mako is not seeing anyone at the moment, and she's always had a thing for your brother. I remember now, she actually started racing because of your brother. She really admires him. That's what you are promising not to mention to anyone - she would be so embarrassed that I just told you. We could try to get them together, what do you think? She's really wonderful if you get to know her, though a bit shy at first."  
  
"Not a bad idea, worth a try. She is very pretty, if I remember correctly. And they both like racing so they have something in common already." Keisuke rubbed his fingers on his cheek whilst considering the thought. "But how will we get them together? Aniki only goes out to the hospital and Redsuns practice lately."  
  
"I'll ask Mako to come to Akagi to practice. When's your next team practice session? Would it be alright if we came during the session?" Sayuki smiled excitedly. She was ecstatically happy. It was also the answer to her prayers to get Mako's mind of Iketani.  
  
"Yeah, we're having another session on Saturday night. If you come at the end of the session, then it won't interrupt practice too much. Come to the carpark at the peak after 11:00. I'll be waiting and can introduce you both to him." Keisuke was also relieved to have some help in returning his brother to his normal happy organised self.  
  
Keisuke got up from the table. Sayuki also arose. "Keisuke, don't we have to pay first?"  
  
"Oh, I already paid before when you were in the ladies. You were gone for such a long time after all." Keisuke teased.  
  
Sayuki blushed. "I wasn't gone that long, you awful boy!"  
  
"You were gone so long, those school girls nearly got up and approached me. Lucky you came back just before they got the courage up to come over." Keisuke heaved a sigh of relief. He enjoyed having fans who were girls, but if they were young brainless schoolgirls then he preferred they admire him from a distance. He grabbed Sayuki's shopping from under the table and putting his hand in the small of her back, propelled her out of the café before she could say anything else.  
  
Once on the street, Keisuke stopped. "Are you finished shopping Sayuki? Do you want a ride home?"  
  
Sayuki smiled. "Only if it's not too much trouble for you."  
  
"No worries. My car is parked pretty close to here."  
  
They walked to the car. Keisuke had his hand at her waist where it had remained after exiting the café. Sayuki liked the feeling of his hand on her and found herself feeling disappointed when they reached the yellow Mazda RX-7.  
  
"What am I thinking? I went out with his best friend. He probably only sees me as his friend's ex-girlfriend." Sayuki sneaked a side glance at Keisuke, admiring his cute profile while thoughts raced through her mind. "But that was many years ago, and we've changed into different people now. He's still a university student, but I've been working for two years now. He's grown taller and I've matured and gotten more curves. I wonder if he even noticed."  
  
Keisuke turned on the stereo on the short ride to Sayuki's home, which meant Sayuki, apart from giving him directions, could be alone with her thoughts. Keisuke was happily singing along to the Eurobeat song "Don't stop the music".  
  
"You're a pretty good singer," Sayuki said, "I love karaoke too!"  
  
"Yeah? We should go together sometime so I can hear your vocal talents. If our plan works, we can get the other two along as well. Aniki sings well too." replied Keisuke.  
  
"Your brother does everything well. I'm not surprised." Sayuki smiled. "It almost sounded like he asked me on a date then!"  
  
"Do I turn at the next intersection?"  
  
"No, turn left at the second intersection."  
  
Shortly afterwards, Keisuke stopped his car outside her house and handed over her shopping after she got out.  
  
"Thanks for lunch Keisuke and for driving me home! It was great to catch up with you."  
  
"Always a pleasure to see you Sayuki. See you on Saturday night!" he called before racing off down the street.  
  
  
  
It was finally Saturday night and Sayuki had had quite enough of her thoughts for the week.  
  
"I'll just treat Keisuke like a friend." she told herself firmly. "After all, I'm sure he has many girls chasing after him, especially fangirls. All the girls fall in love with him because he's a man who knows how to make a woman feel like she's the most special girl in the world, including me." She gave a sigh of self-disgust at how easily she had fallen for his charm.  
  
There was a knock on her front door as Mako arrived to pick her up at the designated time. They headed to the sushi bar for dinner. They came to the sushi bar every couple of weeks and were well known to the friendly waiters.  
  
"Mako, Yoshi is staring at you again." teased Sayuki as she saw the young waiter trying to look discreetly at Mako.  
  
"Oh Sayuki, don't start that again! Maybe he's looking at you. You look very pretty in that pink halter tonight."  
  
"Thanks Mako. I went on a shopping spree last week. I got this top, some new shoes and a new Gucci wallet."  
  
"Gucci? You are an expensive girl!"  
  
"I need to find a cute picture to put in it now. Hey Mako, do you still have that photo of Takahashi Ryousuke in your wallet?" asked Sayuki.  
  
Mako blushed. "Yes, I do, but I covered it with a picture of Kaneshiro Takeshi. He's a good singer and actor."  
  
"He is cute, isn't he?! Why didn't you take out the old photo? It must be a few years old."  
  
"I just couldn't, it's been a part of me for so long. I was going to remove it if Iketani would give me a replacement. But we know how that turned out." Mako sighed.  
  
"You really think highly of Takahashi Ryousuke, don't you?" Sayuki steered the conversation back onto safer waters. They both had analysed Iketani to bits numerous times already. Sayuki couldn't understand why he hadn't responded to Mako's last request and hadn't phoned her to tell her why either. She didn't like the guy who had hurt her best friend.  
  
"Yes, he's really an outstanding person. He's the best driver in Gunma with an unbeaten record. Of course, except for the race on Akina with Fujiwara Takumi. He has proved himself in many other types of racing and is always striving for better results. He's not bad looking either!" Mako blushed as she smiled.  
  
Sayuki laughed at the silly statement, glad that Mako was not dwelling on Iketani for the moment. Mako joined her. The conversation turned to the latest gossip about their favourite soap opera and they had a fun dinner together.  
  
After finishing the meal, the girls went to Mako's car, the blue Nissan Sil- Eighty. With this car, Mako and Sayuki together were the fastest on their home course of Mt Usui. They had been nicknamed the Impact Blue racing team by the locals. While it is unusual to have two people being a single racing team, they had found the combination worked extremely well for them. With the advantage of being old friends, their skill sets merged to form a perfect racer with Mako being the physical driver and Sayuki being the navigator, in a manner of a rally car navigator.  
  
Sayuki gave the directions to Mako for Mt Akagi. Possessing a strong sense of direction, she knew the way to most racing areas within Gunma, the prefecture in which they lived.  
  
On reaching the base of Mt Akagi, Mako slowed down as she saw a group of guys holding radios and stopwatches. There were also quite a few sports cars parked on the side of the road. "Sayuki, there must be a practice session for the Redsuns today. What shall we do now?"  
  
Sayuki saw the opportunity and smiled to herself as she thought "Great, Mako is making this so easy for me!" Aloud she said "Hmm., well its 11pm, the team shouldn't be practicing together much longer. Let's drive to the peak and we'll be able to see when they finish. Then we can have a few runs of our own."  
  
"Good idea. I'll drive carefully on the way up, in case there is any downhill practice happening."  
  
"Okay Mako, I'll keep a sharper lookout for on-coming traffic. We'll give the Redsuns some practice in racing with on-coming cars."  
  
Mako laughed. "You know you have excellent eyesight Sayuki. You have never missed an on-coming car yet."  
  
As the Sil-Eighty neared the peak, Sayuki felt her pulse quicken. "I wonder if he's here yet."  
  
Mako glanced at her driving partner. "Sayuki, are you okay? You seemed a little pre-occupied on the way up? We don't have to practice driving Akagi if you don't feel like it."  
  
Sayuki pulled her mind away from its' current treacherous thought. "I'm fine Mako. I'm just thinking about an issue from the office last week. As we've driven this far, we certainly should do some practice runs. There's no point in wasting so much time and petrol."  
  
On reaching the peak, Sayuki saw the two Mazda RX-7s. The yellow FD of Keisuke and the white FC of Ryousuke were parked at the side of the carpark. There were no other Redsuns cars around, though they had seen several driving down on their way up the mountain.  
  
"Keisuke must have sent the team members to practice, leaving Ryousuke and himself alone up here." thought Sayuki, "Good! That'll make this a bit easier. I really hope this can go well for Mako."  
  
Mako had now spotted the cars belonging to the Takahashi brothers. Her well known blush began to spread on her cheeks. "Sayuki, the Takahashi brothers' cars are over there! What should we do? Should we go over to them? I don't want Takahashi Ryousuke to think I am one of his fangirls following him around."  
  
"Oh Mako. We're the famous Impact Blue team. We're not fangirls. We're fellow racers. We should get out and say hello. I used to be friends with Takahashi Keisuke a few years ago, remember? I wonder if he still remembers me." Sayuki told the white lie with a straight face.  
  
Mako drove over to the cars and parked her car. As they exited their car, both girls had surprisingly similar thoughts in their minds as they closed the doors of the Sil-Eighty.  
  
Keisuke walked towards them. He was easily recognisable to both of them with his blonde spiky hair along with his yellow t-shirt.  
  
"Sayuki, is that you?" he asked.  
  
"Hello Keisuke. It's been a long time since I've seen you." Sayuki gave him a sharp glance and tried to indicate with her eyes the story that she had told Mako.  
  
"Yes. It must be over two years now." Keisuke winked at her to let her know he understood as he saw Mako glance away from him to the figure of Ryousuke sitting on the guardrail to the right of them.  
  
"Aniki, come over and meet some old friends." Keisuke called to his brother.  
  
Ryousuke rose and walked over to the group.  
  
Mako admired his looks as he approached. He was a tall handsome man with black hair and ever-changing eyes, depending on the coloured contacts he was wearing. It was hard to see what colour they were today as it was a little dark in the carpark. He was wearing his standard white jeans and a dark blue polo shirt. "He looks so good."  
  
Keisuke continued, "Do you remember Sayuki? She used to date Matsu back in high school. And this is her driving partner Mako. Sorry, I don't know your surname." He smiled charmingly at Mako.  
  
Mako blushed and smiled back. "No worries Takahashi-san. My surname is Satou."  
  
Ryousuke smiled at the girls. "Sayuki, I think I may have met you at one of my brother's parties at our house. He was always running around with Matsu and getting into trouble. And Satou-san, it is always nice to meet a fellow driver." He glanced at their car with its distinctive gold rims and paused for a split second. "You two are the Impact Blue racing team from Usui, aren't you?"  
  
Keisuke interrupted his brother's question. "Mako, please call me Keisuke and you can call Aniki by his name too. Takahashi-san is my father or Aniki when he's in a bad mood! I'm nowhere near that old to be called that by such cute young women. Especially one who was my fellow troublemaker a few years ago!"  
  
"Speak for yourself Keisuke! I was always just dragged around with you and Matsu!"  
  
Even Mako and Ryousuke had to laugh at the indignant expression on Sayuki's face.  
  
Mako smiled back at the younger Takahashi. "Of course Keisuke, I didn't mean to imply you were old. Please call me Mako. And Takahashi-san, I mean Ryousuke, yes Sayuki and I are from Usui."  
  
"It's a long way to come. Are you here to practice driving Mt Akagi?" At the nod from Mako, Ryousuke continued, "The Redsuns are having practice, but we're just about finished. Keisuke and I will get out of your way and you can have free rein on the course."  
  
Sayuki took a quick look at Keisuke. He was looking back at her whilst Mako and Ryousuke exchanged polite conversation. He gave her another wink to prepare herself for his latest plan as he stepped towards her whilst saying "Aniki, do you mind entertaining Mako for a little while? You can give her some tips about driving here. Since I haven't seen Sayuki for so long, I want to catch up on news about Matsu with her."  
  
Turning to Sayuki, he paused as if thinking. "Hey, we'll go for a little trip down memory lane. Do you remember the boats at Lake Akagi? We used to go there all summer. Let's go and have a quick look. I'll take you for a spin in my FD."  
  
Before Ryousuke and Mako could object, Keisuke herded Sayuki into his car and gunned the engine. The high-pitched rotary engine growled to life as the two conspirators made a speedy exit.  
  
Ryousuke turned back to Mako. "Sorry about the inconvenience Mako. Keisuke is extremely excitable and undoubtedly wants to reminisce with Sayuki about his school adventures with Matsu."  
  
Mako blushed as she realised she was alone with Ryousuke. "Oh my gosh - I'm here with Takahashi Ryousuke! Don't say anything dumb now!" Aloud she said "I'm sorry to trouble you Ryousuke. Unfortunately you're stuck with me until those two return."  
  
"Stuck with you? Who wouldn't want a beautiful girl as company? Shall we sit down? There aren't any chairs, but the guardrail is reasonable. There's a fantastic view from here."  
  
"What? He thinks I'm beautiful? No, don't take it to heart - I'm sure he says that to all the girls." But Mako felt her blush deepen as she tried to stop herself from enjoying the compliment.  
  
Ryousuke walked back to where he had been previously sitting and assisted Mako over the guardrail. Whilst climbing over the rail, Mako's short dress slid up, revealing a long expanse of shapely leg. She hastily pulled the offending dress down as far as possible once she was over the rail and tried to stop the hot blush she could feel spreading down her neck. "Stop it, I'm sure he's seen many girls' legs before." she thought.  
  
"Have you driven Mt Akagi before Mako? Can I give you any help?" Ryousuke enquired.  
  
"We've been here a few times. Sometimes to watch a battle, occasionally to drive. But Sayuki and I haven't been here for a while. If we do a few runs I'm sure we'll remember the course. Sayuki has a great memory. Let's not talk about driving. It's a beautiful night. What a view."  
  
They sat in the quiet for several minutes as Mako admired the view.  
  
"It's beautiful up here. Very peaceful. I can almost believe I'm far away from the world and all my troubles are far away." Mako sighed dreamily.  
  
Ryousuke glanced quickly at the girl by his side and wondered "How did she know exactly what I was thinking?" Surprising himself, he admitted aloud "I was just thinking the same thing."  
  
"Really? Amazing that we were thinking the same thing. Life is a funny thing sometimes."  
  
"It certainly is. But sometimes life can be very hard and I've seen so much pain and suffering in it recently." Ryousuke stared at the ground.  
  
"You're studying to be a doctor, aren't you?" Mako asked.  
  
Ryousuke nodded. "Yes. At the moment I have to admit that my studies are very difficult."  
  
"Sometimes I find that speaking to someone about a problem can help. I'm a good listener if you want to talk about it." Mako extended the invitation to her long-time idol.  
  
"I can't believe I'm sitting here chatting with Takahashi Ryousuke. And he's telling me he has problems. I guess I never thought that such a charismatic and popular man would have problems. I've always just thought of him as a racing driver, and not a man."  
  
Ryousuke looked over at Mako. Her large brown eyes were gentle and sympathetic. Unexpectedly he found himself opening up to her. He spoke about the work at the hospital and the difficulties of working in the ER department.  
  
". And it's just so senseless. This past month, I've had 3 patients who didn't make it through surgery. One was a young man who suicided. He was the same age as Keisuke. Another one of them was a boy only 8 years old. He'd been hit by a drunk driver whilst walking home from school. And I had to tell his parents that he didn't survive emergency surgery. The look in his mother's eyes." Ryousuke's voice trailed off and he closed his eyes.  
  
Mako couldn't help herself. He was in pain and she wanted to help. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I'm sure it must have been very hard. Ryousuke I admire you for your dedication to your job. Whilst there are difficult times involved with being a doctor, you are making a direct contribution to society. You are helping sick people get well again. Very few other jobs can compare to the good that you can do. You mustn't give up on helping people."  
  
Ryousuke gave her a small smile. "Thank you Mako. I know that I shouldn't get too connected to my patients, but I can't seem to help it."  
  
"Don't ever be sorry for caring about your patients. It's a wonderful trait. They are all very lucky to have you to look after them. Is there someone who you can talk to about coping with these kinds of difficulties in being a doctor? Maybe your father?"  
  
"Yes I'll do that. I guess I thought I should be able to deal with this by myself. Thank you Mako."  
  
"I'm glad to help you." said Mako. She patted the top of their joined hands before releasing both of her hands.  
  
Ryousuke closed his eyes for a moment, and then turned towards Mako. She was looking away at the horizon. "She's a beautiful compassionate woman." he thought, "Even though we have just met, she reached out to me and has made me feel better already."  
  
"Can I help you with the problem that you mentioned that you had?" It was Ryousuke's turn to ask Mako.  
  
"No, when I think of my problems now, they are nothing compared to yours. I'm healthy and my family is happy and healthy. I have a job. There's really nothing I can complain about."  
  
Ryousuke smiled knowingly. "It must be a relationship problem then. You didn't mention that at all."  
  
Mako smiled sadly. "It's nothing. He just wasn't interested in me."  
  
"I don't know what his problem is. He doesn't know what he is missing out on. You're a beautiful and compassionate woman Mako. I'm sure that there must be a lot of guys lining up to take that idiot's place."  
  
Mako blushed again. "Not really. I don't meet many men who are interested in me. I guess they think I'm unapproachable. I can't meet people like Sayuki. She's so outgoing and has no problem finding boyfriends."  
  
Ryousuke looked at her. Mako had a very pretty face and a fabulous figure. There wasn't anything not to like about her. "Mako, your self-esteem is so low. A mirror should be enough to tell you that you look like any man's fantasy. And your personality is also lovely. You reached out to me, a person who you just met, and made me feel better than I have for a month."  
  
Mako's blush became even brighter. "Thank you Ryousuke. Maybe one day I will meet a man who will be interested in me."  
  
"Maybe that day is sooner than you think."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"I think maybe that day has arrived Mako-chan." Ryousuke whispered as he leaned over to kiss her. He wrapped his right arm around her as his other hand turned her face towards his own. He bent his head so their lips met and clung together.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Keisuke and Sayuki were sitting on a park bench at Lake Akagi.  
  
"I wonder how they're going." Sayuki said worriedly.  
  
"I only hope Aniki won't lecture me about my bad manners when we return." replied Keisuke. He ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"You really look up to him, don't you?"  
  
"Of course. He's always been my guide in life. I don't know what I'd do without him. That's why I want him to be happy." Keisuke explained.  
  
"I want Mako to be happy. She's like a sister to me. I can't believe she's never had a boyfriend, especially with the way she looks." Sayuki sighed, remembering their conversation a few months ago, before their race against Fujiwara Takumi.  
  
"She's never had a man? Amazing. The guys over in Usui must all be blind or something. Send all your cute friends over here to Akagi, I'm sure Kenta and Hiroshi want to meet some cute girls!"  
  
"Ha ha. Anyway I hope Mako won't be intimidated by your brother. She's so shy."  
  
"We'll just have to leave it to them. But we'll give them plenty of time by themselves. I sent the team home after their last practice run before, so hopefully there should be no interruptions to their conversation." Keisuke checked his watch. "Hmmm, it's 11:30. We'll stay here until at least 12:00 before we head back."  
  
Sayuki smiled inwardly. A Saturday night spent in the company of the gorgeous guy that she was interested in, and he was insisting that they had to stay at Lake Akagi until after midnight - she had no problems there!  
  
"Do you want a drink?" asked Keisuke. "There are some drink machines over there."  
  
"I'll have iced coffee please."  
  
"Good choice. I'll be right back." Keisuke strode off.  
  
Sayuki admired his rear profile. "He really is so cute. He's filled out since we were in high school. He's a man now."  
  
Keisuke returned and gave her the can of coffee. They sat drinking in companionable silence.  
  
"Do you remember the time we came up here and went out rowing in a boat? Matsu was being silly and stood up." Keisuke reminisced. "He tripped over the bench and we all fell in the water!"  
  
Sayuki laughed. "Yes, I remember. I was wearing new sandals and I was very cross with Matsu because I lost one in the lake."  
  
"And I remember you had to carry me up the wharf because of it." Sayuki continued her thoughts privately.  
  
"That's an interesting smile. What are you thinking?" Keisuke poked her in the arm.  
  
"Nothing much. I remember you were upset with him too. Your hair style was ruined!" Sayuki tried to divert his attention. "It wasn't blonde back then - brown wasn't it?"  
  
Keisuke laughed. "That's right. I remember being very mad about that plus we were all dripping wet! And I remember your missing shoe. I had to carry you up the wharf because you only had 1 shoe. Wow - you were heavy!"  
  
Sayuki gasped protestingly. "Heavy! I weighed the same as I do now! Only 47 kilograms! That's not heavy!"  
  
Keisuke crooked his eyebrow. "You haven't put on any weight since high school? Amazing. But can I believe you? There's only one way to check." He stood up and approached her with a cheeky grin.  
  
"What are you doing? Don't be silly! Keisuke!" Sayuki tried unsuccessfully to stop Keisuke from picking her up. "My shoes!" She felt her sandals falling off onto the grass below.  
  
"Don't worry, no one is here to steal them. And it's safer because you might drop one in the water again. You have a habit of that."  
  
Keisuke began to walk over to the wharf with Sayuki in his arms.  
  
"You feel very light."  
  
Sayuki gave up on the situation and laughed as she placed her arms around his neck. "We look silly."  
  
"Well, it's good that there's no one here then, isn't it?"  
  
Sayuki laughed. "Definitely!"  
  
Keisuke reached the wharf and lowered Sayuki to the ground.  
  
"Had enough?" she asked. "If so, you're not very strong!"  
  
"Are you questioning my strength, woman? I've got a lot of muscles! Feel my arm." Keisuke flexed his arm like a weight-lifter and turned to Sayuki who sighed theatrically and squeezed his bicep.  
  
"Very nice."  
  
"Thank you. So are you." As Sayuki had stepped closer to him, he had an unhindered view down her cleavage.  
  
Sayuki laughed when she saw where his gaze was.  
  
Her laugh was stopped by Keisuke's mouth meeting hers as he pulled her into a warm embrace.  
  
"I can't believe this is happening!" she thought.  
  
  
  
Long after midnight, Keisuke and Sayuki were driving back to the carpark.  
  
"I hope Aniki is not too mad at me!" said Keisuke worriedly. "I think we should have come back a bit earlier."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll say that it was my fault for taking so long." Sayuki tried to think of an excuse for why they had been away for so long.  
  
"Well, what do you know? Look at that!" Keisuke exclaimed as they entered the carpark.  
  
Using the illumination of the pale carpark lights, they could see a dark- haired couple sitting on the guardrail. The man's arm was around the woman's shoulders and her head was resting on his chest.  
  
Sayuki looked at Keisuke in relief. "It looks like our plan was a success!"  
  
Keisuke reached out a hand to touch Sayuki's cheek. "No, it's even better than that. We got our own reward for trying to help others."  
  
He parked the car and they went to greet the other couple, both with identical smiles on their faces.  
  
- The End - 


End file.
